And Tony Blair backed his right to speak his mind after Mr Straw stoked up the row by saying the veil was a barrier to good race relations.

Mr Straw's statement that Muslim women should not have to cover their faces brought fierce criticism from some Muslim groups. But Muslim peer Baroness Uddin said there was a need for a "measured debate" and that the nation should "also consider the status of Muslim women in this country".

The Baroness added: "I think it's about human rights on both sides - Jack's right to say and the women's right to wear what they please."

The Rt Rev Richard Chartres expressed his sympathy for Mr Straw's views but accepted it was "an explosive" issue not easily resolved. He also backed Mr Straw's assertion that wearing the veil was not required by the Koran.

Dr Chartres added: "I can understand why he has said it. My understanding is that the veil came from the habit of upper class Christian women in the Byzantine empire that has become a symbolic issue."

Jemima Khan, a convert to Islam and campaigner for Muslim women, said: "My belief also happens to be that covering the face is completely unnecessary in Islam. I have never read anywhere in the Koran that a woman is obliged to cover her face.

"That said, while the sight of a woman in a veil may be shocking to the average Westerner, there are many Muslim women who will argue that a skeletal 14-year-old on a catwalk is equally disturbing."

Mr Straw sparked the row yesterday when he said that he asks visitors to his constituency surgery to remove their veils because he feels uncomfortable talking to someone whose face he cannot see. His remarks triggered fury from some Islamic groups but today, far from backing down, Mr Straw went further by saying he would prefer it if Muslim women never covered up.

The former foreign secretary said he believed wearing veils, a traditional symbol of modesty, makes race relations more difficult. The debate surrounding Muslims and integration was further exacerbated in the row over a Muslim police officer who was excused guard duty at the Israeli embassy.

Mr Straw, whose Blackburn constituency has a high Asian population, said the increasing trend towards covering the face was "bound to make better, positive relations between the two communities more difficult".

Asked if he would rather the veils be discarded completely, he said today: "Yes. It needs to be made clear I am not talking about being prescriptive but, with all the caveats, yes, I would rather."

He told Radio 4's Today programme this morning: "You cannot force people where they live, that's a matter of choice and economics, but you can be concerned about the implications of separateness and I am."

Mr Straw wrote of his fears in a regular column for the Lancashire Telegraph. A meeting with a veiled woman had made him consider the "apparent incongruityî between her entirely English accent and UK education and the wearing of the veil.

"Above all, it was because I felt uncomfortable about talking to someone 'face to face' who I could not see," he wrote. "It was not the first time I had conducted an interview with someone in a full veil, but this particular encounter, though very polite and respectful on both sides, got me thinking."

Conservative policy director Oliver Letwin said it would be a "dangerous doctrine" to start telling people how to dress, while Liberal Democrat chairman Simon Hughes dubbed the remarks "insensitive and surprising".

The Labour MP for Dewsbury, Shahid Malik, said traditional dress was a big issue in his constituency. "We shouldn't shoot somebody for being honest," he told Newsnight. "What we've got to understand is that this is a two-way street: we need to increase understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims."

Dr Daud Abdullah, of the Muslim Council of Britain, also said he understood Mr Straw's views. "This (the veil) does cause some discomfort to non-Muslims. One can understand this," he said, adding that Muslim opinion was divided.

But Mr Straw came under fire from the Lancashire Council of Mosques which said he had "misunderstood" the issue and it was "deeply concerned" by his "very insensitive and unwise" statement. A spokesman said: "We fully support the right of Muslim women to choose to follow this precept of their faith in adopting the full veil, which causes no harm to anyone. It is their human right to do so. Many of these women find Mr Straw's comments offensive."

Zareen Roohi Ahmed, chief executive of the British Muslim Forum, warned that Mr Straw's comments risked opening the door to discrimination by employers. "My worry is that if someone in Jack Straw's position can get away with asking Muslim women to remove their veils, what is to stop employers, bus drivers or shopkeepers from applying the same kind of pressure?"

On the streets of Blackburn his comments were poorly received. Baksedha Khan, 34, accused him of using the issue to advance his bid for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party.

She asked: "Why is he making a big issue of this now? Does he have an ulterior motive? I think this is all about his political future and he is looking for publicity."

Labour Party colleagues, including Hazel Blears, gave their backing to Mr Straw, saying his request to constituents was "perfectly proper".

Downing Street made clear today that Mr Blair backs Mr Straw's right to speak out. Mr Blair's spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister believes that it's right that people should be able to have a discussion and express their personal views on issues such as this." She refused to reveal Mr Blair's views on the subject.